One of the highlights of Seville, aside from the amazing tiles everywhere (but more on that later!) is the Real Alcazar, the royal residence built within the palace and started by Pedro I in 1364 using craftsmen from Granada and Toledo. As with Granada's Alhambra, the outside is very unprepossessing and the inside dazzling!
The main entrance is the Puerta del Leon or Lion's Gate for reasons which are fairly obvious.
After passing through the Puerta del Leon you enter a long, rectangular courtyard lined with cypress trees, palms and other shrubs and flowers. Ahead of you, through a stone archway is the Patio de la Monteria, where the court met before embarking on one of their many hunting expeditions.
Here are two pictures of the literally faded glory of the facade of the Palacio Pedro I. Can you imagine what it looked like in the 14th century when all was fresh and bright?
Pictures taken from the Patio de la Monteria....
In this photo you can see La Giralda, the bell tower from the Cathedral, another another one of Seville's famous buildings.
The entrance hall to the Palacio Pedro I, complete with secret passageway. That's my friend, Laure, peeking around the corner where the king used to scurry away (can you say that a King scurries?!) from one royal assignation to another.
Here are photos of the Salon de Embajadores, Ambassadors' Hall built in 1427.
The interior of the Real Alcazar has many patios, including the Patio del Yeso (Plaster Patio). Patios generally have either a fountain or, in this case, a water channel.
The Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the Maidens) has exquisite plasterwork. This is where you see the expertise of the artisans from Granada.
Check out the beautiful detail in the following photos.
Here's a look from the interior of the palace to the gardens outside.
Before exploring the gardens we visited the rooms of Charles V. What struck me the most about these rooms were the amazing azulejos that decorate the halls and the chapel of Charles V. They are truly stunning.
The gardens of the Real Alcazar are extensive and quite beautiful as you can see from the following pictures.
Sometimes you find interesting surprises......
Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla, located under the Patio del Crucero. For an interesting story related to this see the Real Alcazar link at the top of the page.
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